Marmitako of Bonito
White tuna is a fish admired for its characteristic flavour and texture. We must not confuse this fish with the common bonito because, when we refer to the white tuna, we are talking mainly about the albacore tuna caught in the waters of the Cantabrian Sea. And it was these same fishermen who created this traditional recipe for bonito marmitako.
We will need:
- One and a half chives (this half is for the broth)
- Half a red pepper
- A couple of good-sized potatoes
- A couple of white tuna loins (if you have the possibility to buy the belly, even better)
- A couple of tablespoons of crushed tomatoes
- Two leeks
- A carrot
- A green pepper
- Half a monkfish head
- Fish bones and skins (monkfish, bonito, hake, etc.)
- One litre of water
- A little salt
- Two sprigs of parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
First of all and for the broth…
Peel and clean the leek, the spring onion half, carrot and green pepper.
Then, fry the leeks, carrots, the spring onion half and the green paprika together with the half monkfish head, the bones and the fish skins. When everything is golden brown and the aroma floods the kitchen, add the litre of water and salt and let it cook for half an hour on medium heat (it is important to try the broth after cooking to correct the salt level).
Once the time is over and we see that whatever you have put in the pot looks like a fish broth, we remove it from the fire and strain it to leave a broth which is clean and free of impurities.
Let’s proceed to the recipe for the bonito marmitako.
In a good-sized casserole dish, fry the chopped scallions and the chopped peppers. Next, add the chopped potatoes (it is important to click on them to get a thicker marmitako) and the crushed tomato and leave it to cook for a few minutes.
Add our wonderful fish broth and leave it to cook until the potato is ready (the potatoes should be split with the fork without any problem). At this very moment we will remove the potatoes and with a wand we will crush the contents of the casserole so that we have a thick and delicious sauce. After crushing, add the potatoes and the tuna cut into cubes, leaving it to cook for 4 minutes over medium-high heat.
Turn off the heat and cover the casserole immediately as all we have to do now is serve this delicious dish.
It certainly seems more complicated than it really is, but we’ve already told you at Naturocenter that the result is worth it and remember not to overdo it with the bread..